Looseleaf folder



Nov 19, 196 R. BRINKMANN TO BROXTEN 3,111,126

LOOSELEAF FOLDER Filed Sept. 1, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet i FIG. 1.

Q INVENTOR RUDOLF BRINKMAN To BROX'IEN Nov. 19, 1963 R. BRINKMANN TO BROXTEN LOOSELEAF FOLDER Filed Sept. 1, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5.

INVENTOR RUDOLF IBRINKMAN T0 BRQXTEN BY I I ATTORNEY United States Patent Q 3,111,126 LUGSELEAF FOLDER Rudolf Briulunann To Broxten, 47 Landgrafphillippstrasse, Frankfurt am Main, Germany Filed Sept. 1, 1959, Ser. No. 837,372 ll (Zlairn. ((31. I2925) This invention relates to looseleaf folders for receiving and holding letters, note paper or similar material for current storage. I

More particularly, the invention concerns a novel development by means of which marginally punched sheets may be readily initially inserted or removed and replaced with ease and facility without the necessity of manipulating special metallic clips or the like.

A distinctive object of the invention is to provide a binder type folder which permits or" turning of the in sorted sheets or pages with the ease of a ring binder and also whereby each page, regardless of its position on the retainers can be readily taken out or replaced without difliculty. That is to say, the present invention contemplates a looseleaf folder which includes a front or cover and a back portion connected by a binder web, the back portion, for example, having an elongated flexible nonmetallic insert sheet impaling member interlocked therewith. This flexible member has a free end which may be threaded into a keeper element associated with the cover after having passed through the openings of the punched sheet to lock the said sheets in position.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partial perspective view illustrating a folder in opened position and employing the flexible nonmetallic tongs or tynes of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a detail side view of an impaling tyne anchored to one of the flanges of the folder.

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section view taken on the line IIIIII of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective detail illustrating how one of the flanges of the binder portion of the folder may be provided with a keyhole slot for facilitating the insertion of the base of the impaling tynes as shown, for example, in FIGURES 2 and 3.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a modified form of the imp aling tynes.

FIGURE 6 is a detail perspective view of a portion of a folder having an interior binder flange provided with spaced slots whose long axes are at right angles to each other to facilitate the anchoring of the flexible impaling tyne of FIGURE 5 therein.

FIGURE 7 is a detail perspective view showing the tyne of FIGURE 5 inserted in the opening described in FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a detail perspective View showing the flexible impaling tyne of FIGURES l to 3 in working position.

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating that the flange members of the binder edge of the holder can be made from separate flanged pieces connected together by staples instead of being made from a single sheet of stock.

FIGURE 10 is another detail fragmentary perspective view carrying forward the construction of FIGURE 9 in the respect that additional binder flanges of the type of FIGURE 9 may be provided to increase the capacity of the storage space within the front and back portions of the folder.

Similar references designate corresponding throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the folder comprises opposite covers 1 and 1a which accordparts 3,111,125 Patented Nov. 19, 1963 ing to FIGURE lare made from a single piece of stock material and has the intermediate binder portion provided with spaced flanges 2 and 3 which provide therebetween a back 4 for shielding the rear edges of suitable marginally punched looseleaf sheets.

The flanges 2 and 3 are held in permanent position by suitable stitching or fastenings such as the staples 5.

The front flange 2 is provided with spaced openings 6 while the rear flange 3 is provided with spaced openings 7. As shown, it will be understood that the openings 6 and 7 are in alignment so that they may be in position to receive the flexible non-metallic impaling tynes 8.

These tynes have a leading edge in the form of a point 9 and an attaching base lid which includes an enlarged hub portion for entering the openings 7. The hub portion is formed with offset diametrically disposed keys 11 whose inner edges are spaced from a suitable disclike head 12 to provide space to accommodate the double thickness of 3. In order to accommodate this type of attaching head, the openings 7 are provided at one edge with a slot 18, thereby forming what is commonly known as a keyhole slot with the closed end of the slot directed toward the crest I? of the dorsal flange 3.

In order to anchor or secure the base Ill of member 8 to the flange 3, the shank may be inserted through the opening 7 to the point where one of the keys 11 is first placed in the opening and pushed over the double thickness of flange 3 opposite slot 18 and then the other key is pushed through the slot and member 3 turned to move the holding keys into a position to engage the opposite sides of the flange, thereby conveniently enabling the non-metallic tynes to be readily placed in position.

The elongated flexible tongues or tynes 8 are proportionately long and flat and are made out of springy pliable material, preferably a smooth elastic synthetic material, for example, nylon. Thus, it will be understood that when an impaling tyne is inserted in the flange 3, for example, the latter is brought flat with respect to the plane of the back 2, and the tynes will project upwardly to receive the punched inserts. After the inserts have been positioned in the impaling tynes, the latter may be readily and easily bent to thread into the openings 6. The material from which the impaling tynes are made has the characteristic to return to its normal straight position so that after the punched sheets are in place, the leading ends of the tynes will assume the position shown in FIGURE 1.

Referring to FIGURES 5, 6 and 7, it will be seen that the impaling tyne 8' is formed of a flat thin strip having a point 9 at one end and a flat body portion whose opposite edges are provided with the notches l3l3 inwardly of the head 14. The tynes 8 may be inserted in the slots 15 of FIGURE 6 and then twisted 90 so that the notches l3 overlap the edges of the slots 15. The tynes 8 are then flexed so that they may be threaded through the slot 16 which is at right angles to the slot l5. Thus, it will be apparent that this arrangement provides a simple and practical means for securely anchoring one end of the flexible tyne in place.

As will be seen from FIGURE 9, the cover In may be provided with a flange 2a which is intended to be secured by staples 5 to the flange 2b of the binder fold 4. Similarly the back portion 1b may be provided with a flange 3a which may be secured to the flange 3b of the binder fold by staples 5.

FIGURE 10 illustrates a construction for increasing the capacity of the folder by providing an expandable binder folder. For example, the ultimate depth of the back binder edge of the folder may be built up by utilizing additional binder folds 4a and 412, etc. The back 4a has its front flange 2b connected to flange 2a of the front 2 cover 1. In turn, the upstanding flange 4c is stapled to the flange 4d of the back member 4a. Further, this b ack member 'has a flange 3b which may be stapled as at 5 to the upstanding flange 3a of the back cover In of the backv I claim:

In a filing folder for releasably binding the marginally punched edges of a plunality of sheets so that they may be opened up as a book, front and rear covers, spaced equal height upstanding flanges offset at the same side of the inner faces of said covers, one of said flanges having a first set of openings constituting smooth threading passages, and the other said flange provided with a second set of openings having a long axis at right angles to the hinging axis of the folder, the centers of the two sets of openings being in a common plane substantially parallel to the plane of the covers when flatly opened, the said common plane being approximately midway between the top and bottom of the upstanding flanges, and a plurality of flexible slender sheet impaling elements connected to and transversely spanning said flanges, releasably to hold paper sheets in the folder, the edge portions of the impaling elements contacting the sheets being longitudinally smooth on eve1y cross section plane containing the longitudinal axes so that the sheets may smoothly slide thereover, each impaling element comprising an enlarged round head perpendicular to the axis of the element, and a pair of diametrically opposed and radially elongated key shoulder portions, both shoulder portions located in a plane having a small clearance with and being parallel to the head and axially inward of the head, the impaling element portion between the head and shoulder portions being cylindrical and of smaller cross dimension than adjacent head and shoulder portions, the second set of openings in the other flange being key-hole shaped and each, consisting of a round end portion and a connecting narrow radial slot portion of substantially the same dimensions-as the cylindrical portion and a key portion of each impaling element respectively, the radial slot portion containing the said long axis, the head and paired key portion of each impaling element, when the folder is assembled for use, being lockably positioned on opposite and outer sides of the other of the said flanges, the positioning being accomplished by obliquely inserting the shank of each impaling element from the back side through an opening of the second set to a position in which one of the key portions of the pair rests tightly against the face or front side and the cylindrical portion and the opposite key portions are substantially filling the key holes, then perpendicularly inserting the shank further until the head prevents further insertion, and then twisting the impaling element a quarter turn about its longitudinal axis so that both key portions are on the face or front side of the flange and overlie the side edges of the openings, and the cylindrical portion of the impaling element is firmly fixed in the round end of the opening, thus firmly fixing the impaling element to the other flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 394,394 Ready Dec. 11, 1888 559,219 Sadlier Apr. 28, 1896 703,730 Ladewig July 1, 1902 794,529 Methven July 11, 1905 1,218,262 Jenkins et a1. Mar. 6, 1917 2,114,944 'Dhomas Apr. 19, 1938 2,448,213 Doonan Aug. 31, 1948 2,601,213 Poupitck June 17, 1952 2,773,504 McGervey Dec. 11, 1956 FORElGN PATENTS 133,499 Germany Aug. 25, 1902 752,929 France July 3, 1933 554,608 Italy Ian. 14, 1957 

